Children of the Dead
by MileyLoonaticsFan96
Summary: When the Loonatics finally begin their families, Sophie leaves the group and a series of events unfolds involving an assassin, a Vampire, and the children's 10th birthdays. But, why are the Loonatics keeping secrets? Sequel to "An Unknown Past Revealed"
1. Prologue

Children of the Dead

OK, this is the last in the series. I may make a spin-off for the kids, but I'm not certain yet. Anyway, the rating should really be 11+ and not 9+ (just in case) and Sophie is the other focus character, but she's one of my OC's (that does mean "other character", right?) so, of course, she's not there. This story tells what happened after the group had children. Please read and comment (no bad reviews please)!

Chapter 1: Prologue

2 coyotes were in the room alone while their friends waited outside. The 2 rabbits, Tasmanian devil, roadrunner, 2 humans, and duck all waited patiently for their friends to come out, each girl holding a child (except for the rabbit who had 2 with her husband carrying one as well).

"What do you think is taking them so long?" asked the duck.

"Duck," said one of the humans, grasping one hand in the roadrunner's hand and the other holding her child, "it's a very complicated process you know. This is the fourth time in the past month we've been through it."

"Yeah, but, I haven't heard a scream in the past 2 minutes so they should have already been done and over with, Daniella!" Duck said.

"You weren't this impatient when we were having our kid," said the other human, using both arms to hold her sleeping baby.

"Yeah, but that's completely different, Wendy," said Duck.

"As in the coyotes and rabbits give birth to litters at a time and you and Rev here only got one," said the girl rabbit, gesturing to the roadrunner when she said "Rev".

"You know, Lex," said the other rabbit, a boy, "Isn't it weird how every single week the birth was on a Friday?"

"That is interesting," said Lexi, "Well, since all the birthdays were in the same month and exactly one week apart, imagine what's going to happen when they grow up."

The door opened and a tired male coyote walked out with his ears drooping slightly.

"So, uh, how'd it go, Tech?" asked the male bunny.

"If by that you mean 'how many were there', then about 4," said the coyote named Tech.

"You just happened to outdo us this time," said Lexi. She looked through the door to see a girl coyote lay the last of 4 coyote pups on the bed, all sleeping.

The girl coyote walked out and closed the door gently behind her. "Boy, I'm kind of glad that's over with."

"'Kind of'?" asked Tech, "I'm really glad that's over with!"

His wife gave him a look, but he ignored it. "You know, Tech, sometimes you can be a little…what's the word?"

"How would I know, Sophie?" asked Tech, crossing his arms at her, "I'm the one you're thinking of insulting."

"Thinking about it," said Sophie, "I didn't say I was going to say it." Tech smiled. They had been married for almost a year by then. They had met 2 months before he had proposed and then spent a year planning a quadruple wedding with all the different couples. The Tasmanian devil, sadly, though, had never gotten a girlfriend. Sophie suddenly looked down at her feet and remembered what had happened in the week she had told him that they would be having a kid. "Tech, do you think the kids will be able to do the things we can do?"

Tech's smile disappeared. Everything had gone wrong when he discovered the one power that he and Sophie shared. They could both hear Ghosts, and he could see them, too, but she couldn't. She had been tortured by those powers and Sophie was scared a few months later when she realized that the kids might inherit their powers. "There's no way of knowing that until it's too late," Tech said.

Sophie almost cried at the thought. Tech took her gloved hand in his normal hand and held it tight. She couldn't help but smile when he was around.

"So, if you're done with the sadness, can we go put the kids up and do some scouting?" asked Duck.

"I like that idea," said Sophie, "It could help me get my mind off of seeing dead people."

"I'm the Seer," corrected Tech, "You're just the Listener."

"Whatever," said Sophie, "For all we know, the kids could get both."

"Good point," said Tech.

The rabbits and the humans went to put their kids with Sophie's and then the whole group went off to walk down the streets and make sure everything was OK in town. They stopped down one street when Lexi's ears twitched at a sound which seemed kind of like a mixture of beeping and some strange scraping.

"Do you hear that?" asked Lexi.

"Why do you always ask that?" asked Duck, "You know you're hearing is way better than ours and we can't hear it."

"Chill, Duck, it's just some beeping," said Lexi.

"Beeping?" asked Sophie, "I'll go check it out."

"Be careful!" Tech called after her. He knew she could protect herself. She could sense Ghost presence almost as well as he could and the reason she wore gloves was because of a power she didn't want to use on her allies. But, he still didn't want her getting hurt. If he had known what was going to happen that day, he would have gone in with her so that she could use his power if she needed it (that's why she wore gloves).

Sophie kept climbing up stairs until she heard the beeping herself. She stopped when the noise was clear. She went into a room which seemed to be where the beeping was coming from. She got closer and closer to the source until she felt something jolt into her stomach. She smacked into the wall and heard an evil laugh as the blood started to draw.

"So how does the daughter of the Light Guardians like it when she dies?"

She didn't recognize the voice, but it sounded female. She got up. Before she could turn around, a dagger sliced through her tail, pinning her to the wall. She howled. Her howl could be heard from outside without the use of Lexi's super ears.

"Sophie!" Tech cried when he heard the howl, running into the building after his wife.

Sophie tried to pull herself free, tugging on her tail as best she could, only making it a worse injury as more blood fell from her fur.

The voice continued to laugh at her evilly. "I killed you once, but you didn't die, you only gained a power. Now that power will be mine." The voice faded as whoever was speaking disappeared, leaving the injured coyote to await for her husband to save her.

"TECH!" Sophie yelled.

"Sophie!" Tech shouted in return up the stairs. She couldn't hear him, but he could hear her cries. "Lexi, what's going on?"

"I don't know," said Lexi, "But the beeping is getting more rapid." She then realized what was going on. "Tech, there's a bomb on her floor. The place is set to blow!" Tech didn't need to hear anything else before running up to save his wife. "Wait, Tech! I don't know how much time she has left!"

"Exactly, Lexi!" called Tech back, "I'm immortal, she's not!"

The others began to run after him.

Sophie continued to cry out in pain. She didn't know if the person would come back for her or if she would bleed to death. She was unaware that a bomb was what was emitting the beeping and was going to blow up the whole room in 10 seconds. "TECH!"

Tech finally reached the floor the beeping was coming from. He looked around for her but didn't see her. She was in the darkness. Only her voice could tell him where she was.

3…2…1…

The bomb went off and Sophie was gone. Tech was bounced back by the force of the blow and ran into the wall behind him.

When the other Loonatics finally got there, all they could see was a charred room and Tech regenerating himself. They didn't know that the girl who had killed Sophie was in the room behind them.

She laughed evilly. "Finally!" she said, "I have the Witch's power." She turned to look around the corner and saw Tech come into the room. "The Seer! He'll stop me for sure if she warns him when her Ghost shows up. Why don't I use my newfound powers to fix that?"

Tech looked around but couldn't see anything to give him a hint of whether or not his wife was still alive.

"Tech," said Lexi, putting her hand on his shoulder to comfort him, "I think she's gone."

Tech began to cry. The girl in the shadows seized her opportunity. "_As he speaks through true love's tears, deafen him of her for a whole 10 years._" She zapped the coyote and Sophie's Ghost appeared.

Sophie looked around. "What happened?" She saw Tech crying. She then remembered the last moments she had experienced before…dying. "I'm dead?" She ran to Tech's side.

"Come on, Tech," said Ace (the male bunny, in case you didn't know, which you probably did), " it's not your fault. There was nothing you could have done."

"Yes, I could have, I just wasn't fast enough," said Tech, opening his eyes and letting the tears keep flowing down, "I just wish I could see her one last time."

Sophie smiled. "You can see me, Tech." The coyote made no response. Sophie's smile faded. "Can't you?"

"Come on, Tech," said Daniella, "Maybe if we go home and check on the kids instead that'll make you feel better."

Sophie ran in front of the coyote before he could leave. "Tech, it's me, Sophie." He walked right through her and made no notice of it. Sophie turned to look at the shadows in the place where she had died and saw a glint of light and an evil pair of gleaming eyes that disappeared from sight. Sophie gasped. That glint of light was her magic!

* * *

Hope you liked it! Please continue reading the story and review it. The next chapter will introduce the kids and the one after that will show what's going on. Keep on reading!


	2. 2785

Chapter 2: 2785

_10 years later…_

"I'm going to get you!"

"No, you're not!"

"Oh, come on, she beat you the past 3 games."

"Well, she won't beat us now!"

The 4 girls and 5 boys were enjoying themselves. 4 of them would be turning 10 in 3 days and the others had already switched to double digits. Their parents and the families' friend, Slam Tasmanian, were watching from the other side of the room.

After Sophie had died, the group had made some decisions. They weren't going to tell the kids about their powers until they were old enough. They wouldn't put their families in danger, so they were just the Loonatics when they were out in the field and they were their normal selves every other time. It was like an alias to protect your loved ones.

Tech had taken the blow of Sophie's death the hardest and couldn't believe that with all that unfinished business her Ghost had never shown up. He did, however, find that he enjoyed being a dad. He didn't have as much time to his projects anymore, but it was worth it…sort of.

The oldest in the whole group of kids was Nadine Bunny. She was just like her mother in almost every way ("almost" being in power-wise). Nadine was strong and dedicated and very pretty for just the age of 10. She was the first in her litter of rabbit kids.

The next was Benjamin Bunny (how about that?). The kids called him Benny. He was very flexible and light on his feet and cool under pressure, but he had a slight temper and was a little overly competitive, a lot like his father.

The third, and last in the rabbit litter, was Lucy Bunny. Her brother and sister called her "Cottontail" (her sister saying it lovingly and her brother saying it mockingly), and she was often known to be a mix of her older brother and sister. She was smart, funny, real outgoing, and preppy. She loved games and at the same time found studying to be an interesting activity. She didn't look much like either of her parents. She had silvery-blonde hair and bangs hanging down from her long, slender ears to her shoulders and had deep, happy violet eyes to go with her tan fur.

Rev's kid was a boy named Robert (his family had kept a tradition for generations of naming the boys with a name that started with "r" and he had kept it going). He had the same blue and purple feathers as his dad, and the same deep bluish-green eyes as his mom. He was a lot like Benny, only more gentle and faster than he was skilled in combat (but not quite as fast as Rev).

Duck's kid was a boy named Jack. He had the same dark black feathers as his dad, and the same brownish-gray eyes as his mom. He seemed kind of like Benny only more competitive and slightly arrogant than he was flexible (kind of like his dad, huh?).

Tech's first child was his daughter, Kelly. She looked exactly like her mother in every way, with light brown fur and green eyes. She was very strong-willed and intelligent and had a certain kind of perseverance that wouldn't allow her to give up under any circumstances no matter what she was doing.

Tech's next kid was a boy named Ryan. He looked like his dad, but the similarity stopped there. He had a temper always set to blow, an attitude of "nothing can hold me back so don't try", and he was always trying to beat his high score at another game.

The next child in the group was Sarah. The coyote couple had named her that before her mother died because she was "their little princess", which is what Sarah means. She liked to bake. She looked like Kelly, only she had her dad's hazel-tinted green eyes instead of mother's solid green, and she was shorter with a shade darker fur.

The final and youngest child in the families was Michael. He was exactly like Ryan in looks, except he had a shade darker fur, he was shorter, and he had his dad's eyes instead of his mom's. He actually took and interest in studying. His motto was "There's no puzzle that can't be solved" and he abided by it.

The families had been living together in that tower since before the children's parents had fallen in love or even met. The children always wondered how they had gotten to live in such a big place, but they never asked. There were thousands of places to explore, too! And with their imaginations, almost anything could be possible.

The kids continued playing tag in the room when Rev suddenly ran over, quickly (making sure none of them were looking his direction before he used his power) and grabbed onto Sarah, who was "it" at the moment.

"I'll never figure out how you're so fast, Uncle Rev," said Sarah.

"Well-I-am-a-roadrunner-and-everyone-in-my-family-has-always-been-REALLY-fast-well-all-except-for-my-brother-Rip-and-I-guess-it-skipped-him-but--"

"Or how you talk so fast or what you're saying when you talk so fast," Kelly jumped in.

"That reminds me," said Sarah, pushing the roadrunner slightly to the side, "Tag! You're it!"

"Hey! I-wasn't-even-part-of-this-game-in-the-first-place!" Rev still ran after her, not using his powers this time.

"Well, too bad!" said Sarah, "You are now!"

"Hey, Sarah," said Ryan, "You can't just go jumping people into the--"

"Tag-you're-it!" Rev said, tagging his nephew on the back when he was objecting his sister's input.

"I stand corrected," said Ryan, re-tagging Rev, "Tag, you're it again!"

"Hey-I-was-just-it-I-can't-be-it-again!"

"Yeah, you're not really going along so well in this game so far, are you?" asked Ryan, running off.

Rev chose a different target and began to try to catch Nadine without using his powers.

"He shouldn't be using his powers around them," Wendy whispered, "It's too risky. They could find out."

"Wendy, we're going to have to tell them sometime," said Daniella, defending her husband, "In 3 days, Tech's kids will be 10, too, and then we might be able to tell them."

"So, it's settled," said Tech, "We'll tell the kids on Sophie's death-day." He turned his back on his friends and crossed arms at them.

"Tech, it's been 10 years," said Lexi, "You've got to get over her sooner or later."

"I know," said Tech, dropping his hands to his side, "I just can't get her out of my head no matter how hard I try." His ears drooped at the thought of her.

"That's love for you, Tech," said Duck, "It can drive a guy bonkers. As opposed to Rev, who was already bonkers and took the transition to flat-out wacko."

Wendy giggled. She turned her attention back to the kids and Rev. During their discussion, Rev had tagged Nadine, who tagged Robert, who tagged Jack, who tagged Kelly, who was now going after Michael. "I guess having the kids wasn't enough to get your mind off of her?"

"They're kind of more of an unpleasant reminder at times," said Tech, "I just wish I could have seen her one last time."

Sophie appeared behind him. No one could see her. "I wish you could see me, too, Tech. That way you'd know that I never left you." She turned to the kids. "They're getting stronger. And the day they turn 10, the spell that that woman put on you after she killed me will wear off, and I may finally get to tell you again that I love you."

As Sophie let out her feelings, Rev withdrew from the game to his friends' sides again. As soon as the kids got tired of running and called the game to an end, with Michael still "it", they all sat down and Ace found his watch to be beeping almost silently. He casually made his way down the hall to his room, shut the door behind him, and pressed a button to reveal a hologram of Zadavia, the team's boss, her blonde hair flowing above her as her eyes glowed white inside the rainbow aura that held her hologram.

"Ace," said Zadavia, "I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, but there seems to be a situation downtown and we need the Loonatics to inspect it."

"I don't know about this, Zadavia," said Ace, "We can't just keep jetting off to missions when the kids are getting their powers any day now. I think they're getting suspicious when we leave them alone with Wendy and Danni." Daniella had gotten that nickname about 5 days after she had informed the guys of the children they would be having 11 years before.

"I understand your situation, Ace," said Zadavia, "But the city needs you to defend it. Tell the team the usual info and try to leave as soon as you possibly can. Zadavia out."

The hologram disappeared. "Alright, team, let's jet," Ace mumbled, quietly, as he left the room. He could still remember the good old days before they had even met the 3 Witch sisters when he would say that immediately after Zadavia's hologram left and they would all go off to the jetpacks and go on the mission. It was more complicated now that they were keeping secrets. Ace went back to the living room.

"Zadavia again?" asked Daniella, very quietly. Ace nodded. "We'll watch the kids, you guys go ahead."

With that, the anthros made their way out of the room to the hallway directly outside and found the place in the wall where they had hidden their meeting room. They opened the door and slid through, letting the concealment close behind them. They put on their uniforms, grabbed the jetpacks (except for Rev who could fly of his own accord), and opened the hatch above them, flying through to get to their investigation destination (yes, the rhyme was on purpose).

As the team left the building, the 2 Witch sisters looked after the 9 kids. Michael looked out the window and saw 6 figures riding off in the distance. "Look, Aunt Wendy, it's the Loonatics!"

The group looked out the window and indeed saw the 6 anthro superheroes staring back at them.

"It sure is, Michael," said Wendy as the team once again flew off, "Come on." The kids and secret Witches went back to their business.

* * *

The team had cornered a woman in a black and grey cloak.

"Give it up, lady," said Ace, preparing for some witty banter, "There's nowhere left to run."

The woman reached into her pockets and withdrew 2 silver daggers and threw them at the anthro superheroes.

"Hmm," said Ace, after dodging the daggers and making them lodge into the wall behind him, "got a point there. And a sharp one at that."

The woman wrapped herself in her cloak and disappeared into the shadows.

"Well, that could have gone better," said Lexi, "You know, things have gotten a lot harder these past few years."

"I know," said Tech, "Keeping secrets doesn't work so well. I can't wait until we tell them in 3 days." He looked up at the sky and saw that it was almost dark. Their families would be worried at this late hour. "We better get home before the kids, Danni, and Wendy begin to worry about us."

Ace nodded and led the team back to the tower, making sure the kids weren't looking through any of the windows before going back in through the hatch and taking off their uniforms and returning into the hall.

Wendy walked into the hall at the exact moment the concealment closed. "What took you guys so long? Danni and I were about to crack."

"Sorry," said Duck, trying to calm down his wife (who ironically was a little taller than him), "another 'hard-to-catch' guy…or girl."

"I understand," said Wendy, "Let's just get the kids to bed before Ryan starts getting moody again."

Tech went to deal with his eldest son and the other Loonatics went to go check on their own kids while Slam went to the kitchen for a late night snack before getting ready for bed.

(Miley Cyrus' "Bottom of the Ocean" plays in background)

That night, Tech dreamt about Sophie and smiled as he slept, not wanting wake up.

_It's been in the past for a while,_

_I get a flash and I smile,_

_Am I crazy?_

_I still miss you baby,_

_It was real,_

_It was right,_

_But it burned too hot to survive,_

_All that's left is_

_All these ashes_

_Where does the love go?_

_I don't know,_

_When it's all said and done,_

_How could I be losing you forever,_

_After all the time we spent together?_

_I have to know why I had to lose you,_

_Now you've just become,_

_Like everything I'll never find again,_

_At the bottom of the ocean._

_Do do do,_

_Do do do do,_

_Do do do do do do do,_

_Do do do do do do do_

_In a dream, you appeared,_

_For a while, you were here,_

_So I kept sleeping_

_Just to keep you with me._

_I'll draw a map, connect the dots,_

_But all the memories that I got,_

_What I'm missing,_

_I'll keep reliving_

_Where does the love go?_

_I don't know,_

_When it's all said and done,_

_How could I be losing you forever,_

_After all the time we spent together?_

_I have to know why I had to lose you,_

_Now you've just become,_

_Like everything I'll never find again,_

_At the bottom of the ocean._

_Do do do,_

_Do do do do,_

_Do do do do do do do,_

_Do do do do do do do_


	3. Vampires

Chapter 3: Vampires

She was about 17, or, at least, she looked like it. She had brown hair, brown eyes, grey skin, and a long blue tunic with a yellow felt belt (this time, rhyme was _not_ intended). She examined a few items strung out on the floor. She picked up a ring and waved her hand over it.

"Useless," she said, groaning as she put it down, "Why she would want _that_, I'll never know." She then noticed a picture on the ground. It was worn out and slightly faded and the edges were torn, but it still remained the same picture it always was of the 2 coyotes: Tech and Sophie. She turned back to the ring and saw the diamond on it sparkle slightly. "So she was in love. With a Seer, no less." She picked up the picture. "I knew when I killed her and enchanted that coyote with her magic that their love was strong. I should have known it would be so hard to kill them when I found out that they were mutants. Luckily, he's also not a Warlock."

"Mirdra!" someone cried, a girl most likely around 15-years-old. The girl named Mirdra put down the picture and turned to see a girl in a cloak. The hood was up and shadowed her facial features, but you could still see the sparkling blue eyes. "I heard that you requested my services."

"Yes, Lyra," said Mirdra, "I'm in dire need of an assassin of your skill. I wish for you to hunt down the Loonatics and kill them. You can do it one-by-one or all-at-a-time, I don't care. But I wish for you to get rid of them and 2 human friends of theirs."

"As you wish, Mistress Mirdra," the assassin girl named Lyra said, bowing, "But, who are these 'human friends'?"

"They're not so much human as Witches," said Mirdra, "I believe that the birds are in love with them. I killed their sister 10 years ago and cast a spell on her love, the Seer, so that he couldn't be warned by her Ghost of his impending doom, but the spell will wear off on the anniversary of her death in 3 days. I wish for the Seer to be gone by then, but you can kill his friends whenever you want. And you don't _have_ to kill him by then, he won't know that you're an assassin. He won't even know that I was the one who killed his wife. He'll just know that you're different."

"But, Mistress, want will be my pay, dare I ask?"

Mirdra looked at her with gleaming eyes and then smiled. "You shall earn the place of second-in-command when I am ruler over the planet and all its dimensions, and a reward of 100,000 gold coins for bringing down those Acme heroes."

"I don't know…"

"1,000,000?"

"Done. I shall have them killed by sunset when the week is out. If not, the deal is out."

"Perfect." Mirdra smiled as Lyra began to leave the room. "Remember, I will contact you at noon on the third day, so be prepared and try to kill them by then."

Lyra nodded and went through the door to find a way to lure the Loonatics close enough to kill them without letting them know what she was going to do. She found her room in the building and closed the door behind her. "Hmm…I could pretend to be in distress and lure them close enough."

She rummaged through some drawers and found a small device. It seemed to be a kind of horn, but it was smaller. She pulled out some earplugs, too, and ran off to wreak havoc in the streets until the Loonatics would arrive.

She looked in the mirror one last time before leaving and realized what she had to do before she could catch them. She picked up a stick from her dresser and waved it, altering her appearance. She was unable to change her eyes, but everything else was different. She took off her cloak to reveal orange-highlighted blonde hair, the same sparkling blue eyes, and pale beige skin. She smiled evilly to reveal 2 sharp fangs and then waved the wand again to turn them to normal teeth and grabbed her things as she left.

On the way out, Mirdra caught sight of her assassin walking out in disguise. She smiled to reveal 2 fangs of her own. She looked down at her hands. Her right palm had the Symbol of the Scorpion and her left hand had the Mark of the Moon. "My brothers were both foolish to try their plans without me, and, even worse, in separate dimensions. Eronor was exiled from Anasala and Orthane was trapped in the Forests of the Forgotten. I've been stuck here for decades plotting to take over the land myself and what did I get? I was bitten by a Vampire and had to hide here. And now those pesky Loonatics have been around for 13 years taunting me and my Aureals. It's time to vanquish them myself just like they vanquished my brothers and then take their power for myself and rule with Lyra over the whole of this planet that they call Acmetropolis."

Aureals are creatures of the night. They are Vampires in a way, but they serve a superior master or, in this case, mistress. They are the ones capable of mind control. Mirdra was also capable of mind control and found it to be useful for unwilling servants whom she forced to become Aureals through use of her power. Lyra was an assassin Aureal and Mirdra was Vampire.


	4. Victims of an Assassin

Chapter 4: Victims of an Assassin

Lyra wandered through the streets looking for a first prey. Her horn was in the pocket of her sweater. She finally reached the park and found liable victims. There were kids all over the park and their parents were all unfocused. She hid behind a tree and made sure no one was watching before taking out her earplugs and putting them in, then grabbing her horn and blowing into it.

The horn emitted an eerie glow of green which surrounded the kids and mutated them into fierce creatures. As she used her horn, her eyes glowed green and the monsters all fell under her control.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right place, Zadavia?" asked Ace into his communicator, "When we left the kids, Danni and Wendy seemed kind of upset this time."

"It's the right place, Ace," said Zadavia, not meaning to rhyme, "You just have to look for it."

Tech gasped. "I think I found them."

The team all checked to make sure Tech wasn't seeing more Ghosts and saw, instead, a bunch of monsters coming down the streets from the park.

"Looks like we got some monster-sized trouble on our hands," said Ace, "Hit them hard, Loonatics!"

Tech used his magnetic ability to wind a light pole around one of the monsters, but it struggled out and reflected the attack with its scales, almost knocking out Tech's jetpack.

Duck threw some eggs at another monster, but it absorbed the attack and then tossed them back at him. Duck screamed a little as he quacked out of the way of his fire eggs.

Rev flew at an avian creature and zoomed around it at lightning speed, wearing it out as it tried to knock him away. The flying monster fell to the ground and almost crushed a couple cars and a few pedestrians. It got up and pressed its wings hard against the ground, freezing the ground around him and sending shock waves up at the flying roadrunner which would have knocked him right out of the air had he not been fast enough to dodge them.

Lexi brain blasted what seemed to be a giant lizard-lion or something and all that happened was it scratched the spot she hit and then pushed her off.

Ace attempted to hit he same creature with his laser vision and the same thing happened.

Slam tried to smack some sort of Dryad and it wrestled him to the ground as he pulled up some of the roots. Unfortunately, he had only pulled up enough roots to smash him into a wall as he reactivated his jetpack and zoomed back to his friends.

"I don't get it," said Tech, "They all seem to have a comeback for everything we do."

"Tell me about it," said Lexi, "It's like they know what our powers and when we're going to use them. It's almost as if they're trying to kill us."

Before they could continue the conversation, a scream came from the ground below which didn't require the use of Lexi's super ears to hear. They all looked down and saw the lion-lizard attacking a blonde girl with sparkling blue eyes and pale beige skin.

Rev flew down and took her out of the way before the creature could catch her. He was now on the ground and the other Loonatics landed next to him as put down the injured teen.

"Thanks for your help," said the girl, "You better get rid of them."

"Well, we've been trying, but they have a comeback for everything we do," said Lexi, "and we can't figure out how to stop them."

_Aw, jack-o-lanterns, it's not working,_ the blonde girl thought, _I guess this plan only helped me meet them. I might as well tell them how to fix this._ "You might want to try hitting the under-belly, that's where they're the weakest."

"Thanks," said Tech, flying off to test the theory. He used his magnetic power to twist the light post he had manipulated earlier and smack the lizard-lion right in the stomach. "It worked!"

"Alright, Loonatics," said Ace, "I guess we ought to keep this plan going."

They all attacked the creatures in the place specified to them. While they were attacking the creatures, Lyra got out her horn and blew into it again, the eerie light once again surrounding the monsters as her eyes glowed green again and she released her spell on them. The Loonatics then flew back to her as she put away her horn quickly so that they wouldn't see it.

"Thanks for the help there," said Ace.

"Chief," Tech said, pointing at the monsters.

Ace looked around, shocked, as he noticed that the monsters were turning into kids. "Someone mutated the kids at the park. How about that?" He thought about this for a second and thought he could ask Tech later. "So, uh, what's your name?"

"My name?" asked Lyra, "I'm…Lydia."

"Well, Lydia, it was nice of you to help us out back there," said Lexi, "By the way, how did you know that?"

"I've seen these creatures before," Lyra/Lydia said.

"Well, if you need some help or a place to stay," said Ace, "We know some people who would be willing to keep you for a while." The Loonatics all knew that he meant them, but was trying to keep the secret. "So, what do you know about the monsters? Do you know what caused the mutation?"

Lyra didn't know how to answer that. "Uh…I didn't catch that part, I just know the weaknesses and such."

"Do you at least know what they're called?" asked Tech.

"I think they're called the 'Hybrid Knights'," said Lydia.

"The what?" Tech asked, panicking. He remembered Sophie warning him about those…

***Flashback*******

It was a couple months after Sophie had told him they were having the kids. She was talking with him about her family.

"So Witches have folk-tales, too?" Tech asked.

"Yeah, and I hope the 'Hybrid Knights' don't come after the kids," said Sophie.

"Huh?" Tech asked, confused.

"It's a story parents in Anasala tell their kids to scare them, like the boogeyman." Tech then understood. "They're supposed to be these strange creatures that are mutated from people by some strange force and turned into gigantic, super-powered animals that prey on blood. But it's just a story. And I personally don't believe it's true. But Danni does, and she's a lot smarter. Wendy is neutral to it and I never got a straight answer from my parents. We could be wrong about it, it very well could be true. But it's most likely not."

***End Flashback***

Now, here he was, listening to some girl tell him that he had just fought the very creatures that his wife had told him weren't real.

"So, uh," Tech said, distracting himself from the memory of his dead wife, "how did they get here?"

"They're mutated from the kids somehow," said Lydia, "Luckily, they didn't take any blood from their prey before they changed back or they would have been stuck that way forever."

"Yeah," said Tech, "that is lucky." He didn't remember if Sophie told him that or not.

"Tech!" Lexi said, snapping her fingers.

"Huh?" Tech said, "Oh, sorry." He didn't realize he had zoned out thinking about her. He couldn't help it if he still missed her. He couldn't wait until the day after next when would finally tell the kids all that had happened to him and his friends and his wife and everything. He wouldn't have to keep secrets from them anymore…


	5. Birthday Surprises

Chapter 5: Birthday Surprise(s)

When the Loonatics came home, they had Rev lead Lydia to a guest room and then quickly come back to change out of his uniform so that they could go inform Danni, Wendy, and the kids that they would be having a guest for a while.

The next day, Tech's family showed up to celebrate his kids' birthday. Nellie, Patrick, and Rita didn't seem so excited to see Tech (or at least Patrick and Rita didn't), but they sure were excited to see their nieces and nephews. Nellie even noticed that, just like in the original Coyote family, the litter was born girl-boy-girl-boy and that her name, being the oldest, rhymed with Kelly's name, who was also the oldest.

On the 4 kids' birthday, Lexi and Rev actually pinned some balloons to the kitchen table. Tech, however, spent the morning in his room. Sophie's Ghost staying next to him the whole time waiting for the clock to strike 10. Tech could only think of how Sophie had died exactly 10 years before.

_I still miss you, Sophie, _Tech thought, staring at a photo of her from his bed, _I'll always be in love with you._

The clock struck 10 at that exact moment.

"Still miss me, Tech?"

Tech looked around to see where the voice was coming from and saw Sophie across the room from him. "Sophie? I thought you were dead."

"I am."

"What?" He thought about that for a second and immediately understood what she meant. "How come I couldn't see you all these years?"

"I was standing right next to you the whole time waiting for you to see me," Sophie explained, "Whoever killed me took my magic doing it and used it to enchant you so that you couldn't see me…so that I couldn't warn you that she's going to kill you, too. She's been trying to for 10 years, right down to the day." As a Ghost, she couldn't cry, but Tech could see that she wanted to. "Please, don't tell my sisters about me, and don't mention seeing me to the kids either."

There was a knock at the door. "Tech, are we telling the kids now or what?" It was Lexi. Duck must not have wanted to do it.

"You better go," said Sophie, "They're going to find out sooner or later, you might as well tell them."

"I think they might already know," Tech whispered as he walked to the door. He was about to open it when he thought of something. "The kids might be able to see you. If you turn invisible, you can be in the room."

Sophie smiled and nodded, turning invisible so that even Tech couldn't see her. Tech opened the door.

"Who are you talking to?" asked Lexi when Tech came out.

"No one," Tech lied. Lexi could tell he was seeing Ghosts again, and she could tell that he was smiling when they were walking down the hall.

Tech and Lexi finally reached the living room. They saw the group of 19 waiting for them. Before the adults began to explain to the kids what was going on, the silver and white rabbit named Ace turned to Lydia.

"Eh, you mind giving us some time alone with the kids?" asked Ace.

"Sure," said Lydia, walking down the hall to her room and closing the door behind her. After she was gone, Ace closed the hallway door behind her and locked it tight.

"What'd you do that for?" asked Benny.

"What we're about to tell you is a major secret and we're not certain we can trust her with it," Lexi explained.

"What is it?" asked Kelly.

"You tell them Ace," said Tech, "You are pretty much the leader, you know."

"'Pretty much'?" asked Ace, "There're your kids!"

"Some of them are," said Tech, "But I thought that since you--"

"Can't we just play a game of 'not it'?" asked Duck, "There I said it, happy?"

"Fine, not it," said Lexi.

"Hlahfhl--not it," said Slam.

"Not-it," Rev said, excitedly fast.

"Not it," Tech and Ace said at the same time, "Rock, paper, scissors!" Tech shot scissors, Ace got paper.

"Ha!" Tech said.

"Fine, I'll do it," said Ace. He turned to face their confused anthro children. "13 years ago, a meteor struck the planet. It broke off when it hit the atmosphere, so, instead of destroying the planet, it knocked the Earth of its axis and released a radiation that created a bunch of super-powered individuals."

"That's not a secret," said Lucy, "Everyone knows that that's how the Loonatics got their powers."

"Exactly," said Ace, "We are the Loonatics."

All 9 of the kids were shocked at this news.

"That explains why you're always disappearing at the exact moment the Loonatics show up," said Ryan.

"And then come home at the exact moment they vanish," said Sarah.

"Right," said Kelly, "Can we continue the story now?"

"Tech's turn," said Ace.

"Hey, that's not--OK, I'll do it," said Tech, after receiving a glare from the rabbit couple. He turned to the kids to continue the story. "About a week after the comet hit, our friend from another planet put us all together as a team and we began fighting crime. Almost a year after that, we met Danni, Wendy, and Sophie."

The kids knew he was talking about the 3 sisters that were Robert's mom, Jack's mom, and the mom of the coyote litter.

"They were kind of scared to give up their secret at first," Tech continued, "but eventually told us that they're Witches."

"What?" all the kids said at the same time.

"Hey, guys, sensitive ears over here!" Lexi called, rubbing her ears.

"Sorry, Mom," Nadine, Benny, and Lucy all said at the same time.

"OK, that's freaky," said Duck.

"What's freaky is the fact that 6 of us are half-Witch!" Kelly cried, "How come you didn't tell us sooner?"

"After your mother died the day you were born," Tech said, "we decided not to endanger any more lives and kept our powers a secret. We didn't tell anyone that didn't already know. And I especially didn't want to freak you all out with my story."

"What happened to you?" asked Ryan.

"Your mother and I were not exactly the same as the others on the team," Tech said, "We could hear things that even Lexi couldn't. We could both hear Ghosts and I could see them."

"You see dead people?" asked Nadine.

Tech nodded. "My wife died twice…well, one and a half times actually. The first time was the half. The day her parents died, she felt she was responsible for their death and, when she died, her soul was unable to leave her and she was given the ability to hear Ghosts. I, for one, died completely when I was 12. I got caught in a fire, couldn't breathe, and then died for 10 seconds and came back. The comet gave me full power because of that so I was able to both see and hear Ghosts."

"That explains all the voices I was hearing," Kelly whispered, not realizing they could all hear her.

"What?" Tech asked.

"I was hearing strange voices since I was 5," said Kelly, "I didn't want to say anything because I was worried you would think I was some sort of freak. If I had known I had inherited a gift from you, I would have come to you for advice the minute I started hearing them."

"I knew it," said Tech, "I knew at least one of you would get that power from us."

"And only the eldest took it," said Daniella, "How about that?"

"She's not the only one who has power," said Nadine, "We all got it. Not the same thing, but we each got 2 powers and never used them in front of you…well, we might have used the ones we couldn't control, but, still--"

"What can you do?" asked Lexi.

Nadine stood up from the couch. "Why tell you when I can show you?" She held out her hand and a ball of fire emerged from her palm. "I'm--what do they call it--'pyrokinetic'?" Benny nodded.

_Whoa, somebody call the fire department, the Rabbit Torch is on the loose,_ Duck thought.

"I heard that, Duck," said Nadine.

"I didn't say--You can read minds, too?" Duck asked. Nadine nodded. "How's that for advanced hearing?"

Benny pulled his sister back into her seat as her fire ball disappeared. "Yeah, but I can do this." He reached out his hand and opened the fridge…from the other side of the room…without getting up… "I can stretch myself." He pulled his hand back and it snapped (painfully) back into place and couldn't be seen after that. "But sometimes when it snaps back it triggers my other power and I turn invisible." They could all hear him say that, not just Tech and Kelly. He then turned back to normal.

"Oh, really?" Lucy said, "Can you do this?" She held out her hand and a glowing purple field formed around the couch. "I can make force-fields and control plants."

"She got that from me," said Lexi, "Except hers is full-time. I can't use that power anymore."

"We get it, Lex," said Ace.

Lucy dropped her field as Robert got ready to demonstrate his ability. Robert phased right through the couch and landed on the ground behind him. "I can phase through stuff, and I'm elemental so I can do stuff with water, wind, fire, and rock, but I can't start a fire through my power like Nadine can."

Jack was up next. He picked up an apple from the basket on the table without touching it. "I, for one, am telekinetic, thank you very much, and can make people stop moving."

"So you can stun them?" asked Wendy.

"That's what you call it, Mom?" asked Jack. Wendy nodded.

Kelly's turn. "I already told you I can hear voices which I'm pretty sure are Ghosts."

"What's your other power?" asked Lexi.

"I--" Kelly stopped talking and suddenly looked far-off. She blinked a couple times and then said, "Uncle Duck, don't eat the apple." She hadn't even looked his direction and seen that he was getting ready to eat an apple. "You're gonna choke on it."

Duck put it down.

"I can see the future," said Kelly, "I can't control when I get them or what I see, but I can still do it."

"Cool," said Ryan, "Almost as cool as me being able to control electric devices." With that, the TV turned on when no one had touched it. It turned off a few seconds after that. "And I can--" He stood up and tossed a pen at Tech. "Throw it at me."

"What?" Tech asked.

"Just do it," Ryan said, standing absolutely still as his dad tossed it at him. The pen bounced right off and came up bent and bunched together as if it had been used to cut open an anvil. "I can dense my molecular structure so that I can survive any attack."

"Nice," said Sarah, "Can I go now?"

"Be my guest," Ryan said, sitting back down.

"I can make a sonic screech at a high enough frequency to fry someone's brain," said Sarah, "And some pretty strange stuff happens around people who hear me sing."

"Why are you that bad?" asked Duck, laughing hysterically after he'd said it.

The 8 other kids knew what Sarah was going to do and quickly covered their ears. Sarah screamed and the sound waves rattled the room as the adults covered their ears miserably.

"Please, don't do that again when I'm in the room without highly effective earplugs," said Lexi.

"Sorry," Sarah whispered, sinking into her seat.

"Why am I last?" asked Michael.

"Hey, you can do some cool stuff, too, you know," said Ryan, trying to calm his younger brother.

"Right," said Michael, taking out a drawing he had done the week before. It was a very realistic one of a white angora rabbit. He waved his hand over it and the fluffy white rabbit jumped out of the page…literally. "I can bring stuff to life."

"He animates by accident almost every time he reads out loud which why he doesn't like reading class in school," said Kelly.

"And," Michael said, putting the rabbit back in the drawing, "I can change into stuff." He then transformed into the rabbit he had just animated and turned back.

"Wow," said Ace, "and I thought we could do cool stuff."

The kids smiled at the bunny, girls giggling.

What only one of them knew was that Sophie had been listening in on every word and watching every action. What none of them knew was that the assassin named Lyra had been, too.

"So they're the Loonatics," said Lyra, turning off her device and retracting the camera from a string she had let out when she came down the hall, "And the kids have powers, too. Oh, Mirdra, you will have quite the story when you contact me."

At that exact moment, her watch beeped. She laid the device out on her bed and pressed a button that made a holographic image of Mirdra appear, quite unlike the one used for Zadavia to contact the Loonatics.

"So, what news do you have pertaining to the Loonatics?" asked Mirdra, "Have you destroyed any of them yet?"

"I'm sorry to say that none of them have come across death yet," said Lyra, "But I do have important information pertaining to them."

"Yes?" Mirdra asked, "What is it?"

"Their real names are Ace and Lexi Bunny, Danger Duck, Tech E. Coyote, Rev Runner, and Slam Tasmanian. The coyote is, indeed, the Seer and his wife was the Listener. He has 2 older sisters and an older brother and 4 children."

"Children? I should have expected that."

"He's not the only one _with_ children, the Tasmanian devil is the only one _without_."

"Really? What of the children?"

"The oldest is named Nadine Bunny. She is pyrokinetic and a mind reader. Her younger brother, Benjamin, is flexible and capable of turning invisible. Their sister is Lucy and she can create force fields and manipulate plant growth. The roadrunner's son is named Robert and can phase through objects and control the elements. The duck's son is named Jack and is telekinetic and able to stun people. The coyote's first child is a girl named Kelly. She is psychic and the Ghost Whisperer."

"Of course! The eldest is the only one capable of inheriting that power. How many more are there?"

"Just 3 more coyotes. The next one is named Ryan and he is a techno-path capable of making his molecular structure stronger so he can withstand any attack. His younger sister is named Sarah and she can control minds through song magnify and sound waves of her own screaming to an ultra-high frequency. The last is a boy named Michael. He can animate drawings and characters from books and transform into any animal he wishes."

"Amazing! Truly amazing these children…And only 6 of them are magic?" Lyra nodded. "And one is psychic, one is a mind reader, and another is a mind controller?" Lyra nodded again. "Those 3 girls will be unaffected by my ability and yours. As soon as the Loonatics are dead, I want you to get all 9 of those children and bring them to me alive. But the 3 who are immune to mind control…kill them if needed, but only if needed."

"As you wish, Mistress Mirdra." Lyra turned off the device and the holographic image of Mirdra disappeared. "I will kill them if they stand in my way."


	6. Defeating the Betrayer

Chapter 6: Defeating the Betrayer

The next day, everyone was awake except Lydia, and Tech's family had already gone back to their house. Since the kids now knew the secret and their parents knew about their powers, Lydia was the only one in the building who didn't know about the anthros being the Loonatics…but Lyra did and they didn't know that. Since Lydia wasn't up yet, when Ace's watch beeped, he accepted Zadavia's call immediately.

"Hello, Ace," said Zadavia through the holographic projection, "I see you finally told the children about your powers."

"Yeah, it took a long time, too, Zadavia," said Ace, "They seem to already have powers of their own."

"I expected no less," said Zadavia.

"Who's that?" Sarah asked Tech.

"Our boss," Tech put it simply, "She's the 'friend from another planet' we told you about."

"Oh, the one that put you together?" asked Kelly.

"That's her," said Tech.

"Well, seeing as you all know," said Zadavia, "Would it be OK if I send your parents on another mission to go stop some more of those monsters we found the other day?"

"Perfectly fine with me," said Robert, "How about you guys?" The other anthro kids all nodded.

"If the safety of the world's in danger, who're we to object?" asked Benny.

"I appreciate your willingness to help. Zadavia out."

"Alright, team, I've been waiting 10 years to say this," said Ace, "Let's jet!"

Lucy smiled as her parents and their anthro friends ran off, bumping into Lydia in an attempt to get into the hallway.

"Sorry about that," said Lydia, "You need to get through?"

"Yeah," said Ace, "we, uh, got to go warn the Loonatics that some more of those monsters were spotted downtown."

"Oh, maybe I can go with them," said Lydia, "I do know a lot about them. I could really help."

"Good," said Ace, "We'll go get them." The kids and 2 Witch sisters waited for about 15 seconds before the 6 anthros came back in uniform. "Somebody call for some heroes?"

Lucy couldn't hold back her giggle at the thought of what had just happened. She had always been fond of her dad's witty banter out on the field, but using it in the house now that she knew it was her dad was a lot different. She still enjoyed it, but it was funnier.

The Loonatics ran off and took Lydia with them, having her ride on Rev's back. They eventually came to a street in New Chinatown where a couple more of the "Hybrid Knights" were awaiting them. The Loonatics landed and prepared for an attack.

When Lydia got off Rev's back, she made sure no one was looking before changing her eyes to green again and making the creature come at them. Rev slid Tech out of the way and Duck quacked Lexi out as Slam pulled out Ace, none of them able to reach Lydia before the attack hit her. At least, they thought the attack hit her. It looked like it had. She had fallen back and hit a car.

While the other Loonatics were attacking the creature (in the underbelly like before), Tech and Rev stayed back. Rev was checking on Lydia to make sure she was OK. "Tech-I-think-she-broke-her-leg-it-looks-a-little-bent-and-it's-bleeding-in-places-so…Tech?"

"Huh?" Tech hadn't realized his friend was talking to him. He was focused on a voice in his head…a voice that sounded remarkably like his eldest daughter.

_Dad? Is that you? Can you hear me?_

_Kelly? Is that you? How are you doing that?_

_I knew if I channeled Nadine's power into mine I'd be able to contact you telepathically!_

Tech watched as the Loonatics power defeated the creature and it turned back into a human just like before.

_Did they just defeat the first creature?_

_Yeah._

_There's another one coming up behind them in 2 seconds!_

"Guys, watch out!" Tech called. The other Loonatics turned around and quickly dodged an attack on them from one of the other creatures.

_It worked! I thought you couldn't control when you got them._

_I can't. I had one immediately after you left and saw that. All I'm getting now are vibes._

_How do we get rid of this one?_

_You've got to dodge the attacks first. It's going to hit Lexi!_

"Lexi, move!"

Lexi moved out of the way before the monster could whack her with its long tail.

_Right again. Keep going…_

Kelly grasped Nadine's hand firmly, not letting go for fear of losing the connection. She kept following the vibes to help her dad out in the field.

"Ace, duck!"

Ace ducked the attack from the strange monster.

"Duck, quack now!"

Duck quacked and landed right next to Tech, quacking back into battle immediately afterwards.

"Slam, tornado, quick!"

Slam followed Tech instructions precisely and the monster bounced back.

"Ace, he's going to hit up! Down! Left! Right! Laser blast!"

Ace shot the creature in the underbelly with his laser vision. "How are you doing this, Tech?"

"I'm not the one doing it," Tech said, "Kelly is."

Rev had been distracting Lydia the whole time Tech had been giving instructions to the other Loonatics so that he couldn't risk giving away their identities. He didn't realize that she already knew and was listening to every word they said. "And-then-of-course-the-whole-thing-exploded-but-then-again-I-probably-shouldn't-have-put-in-the-flour-instead-of-the-salt-you-know-what-I'm-saying?"

"No, I don't know what you're saying," said Lydia, "Just help me elevate my leg."

Rev held onto her leg and then kept on talking about whatever he could to distract her from Tech giving off his psychic daughter's battle predictions.

_I think I've got it._

_You've better got it, Kelly. This fight is getting ridiculous._

_OK, Dad, just hit him with one of the light poles as hard as you can and have the other Loonatics attack at the same time. It should be enough to throw him back._

Tech did that exact thing and had the other Loonatics attack at the same time (except for Rev) and, sure enough, true to his daughter's word, the monster was thrown back and turned back into a human.

_It worked, Kelly. If that was the last one, you can let go now._

_Thanks for letting me help, Dad. Now get home fast, I could be wrong about that being the last one._

Kelly and Nadine dropped their connection and let their parents come back from the fight on their own.

When their parents came back, they brought Lydia in to rest her broken leg and went to change back into their normal clothes before bringing her back to her room.

"There's something strange about her," said Lucy, "I'm not sure I trust her."

"What makes you say that, Cottontail?" asked Benny.

"For one thing, she says she broke her leg, but she isn't limping."

* * *

The next morning, Lyra woke up and realized how little time she had left to kill the Loonatics and capture their children.

In the kitchen, while Lyra was changing into Lydia, the group was getting breakfast. The kids were listening to the last of Tech's story of his adventure with the team and the 3 Witch sisters when they had defeated Eronor and the Order of the Scorpion.

"That's a really interesting story," said Sarah after he was done, "So, you know they're part of the group if they have the mark on their hand?"

Tech nodded.

"You know, guys, I'm not so certain we can trust Lydia," said Lucy.

"Relax," said Kelly, pouring herself a glass of orange juice, "even if she is faking it, I still feel kind of sorry for--" She was cut off when she had a vision.

_In her vision, there was a dark room. A woman in a blue and yellow tunic was standing by a window when she was approached by a girl in a cloak._

_"I have failed you again, Mistress," said the girl._

_"Don't worry, Lyra," said the woman, "You shall kill them soon enough."_

_"Soon, you will rule over every dimension of this world and I will be by your side. And the only ones who can stop us, the Loonatics and they're pesky kids, will have all been destroyed." She pulled down the hood of her cloak to reveal Lydia beneath it. "By yours truly."_

_The woman in the tunic laughed evilly as Lydia revealed the Symbol of the Scorpion in her right hand and the Mark of the Moon in her left._

"For that little phony!" Kelly said, snapping out of her vision. She then saw that her glass of juice was overflowing from all the time she had spent pouring when she was having her vision. She stopped pouring and said, "I'll blame that on Jack later."

"What did you see?" asked Ryan.

"OK, well, first--"

Sarah shushed them when she saw Lydia coming down the hall. The team acted natural, as if Kelly hadn't had the vision.

"Hey there, guys," said Lydia, grabbing Duck's cheese omelet before he could eat any of it.

"I see you like cheese omelets," said Duck, "Problem is, that's not your cheese." He said "not your" in a beat that made it sound like "nacho". If he thought that was funny, he was sadly mistaken by using a joke that hadn't been funny since 2065.

"Duck, you might want to leave the banter to my dad and the leader of the Loonatics," said Nadine, making the 2 sound like completely different people.

"Right," said Kelly, making her way around the table to the seat next to Lydia, "I would just like to ask you one question, Lydia."

"What is it?" Lydia asked, putting down her fork.

"Well, how do you explain--" Kelly took off Lydia's gloves and pinned her hands, palms up, to the table, revealing the 2 marks on her hands. "This! Aha! I knew it! Start talking!"

Lydia took the gloves back and walked over to the living room as she talked. "OK, OK, the first thing you should know is--" She withdrew a dagger from her pocket and quickly made a motion to swipe them, but they all dodged the attack in time and the dagger slashed into the kitchen counter. "That I'm a trained assassin sent to kill you all and nothing's going to stand in the way of my target!"

"Whoa, didn't see that coming," said Duck.

"I, for one, did," said Kelly.

"I know," said Lydia, "I was listening the other day when you all gave away your secret powers. I know what all of you can do, and so does my mistress. And, for another thing, my name's not Lydia. It's Lyra."

"Alright then, Miss Slay-everyone-you-see, time for you to be taught a lesson," said Ace, pressing a button on his watch and changing into his uniform, taking out the Guardian Strike Sword as he did so, "Guardian Strike Sword, attack!" He made a slash with the sword, but it rebounded off of her dagger as the others changed into their uniforms. The battle finally pushed Lyra out the window and into the street. The group made their way, quickly, down to the ground where Lyra had fallen. "Giving up yet?"

"Not even!" Lyra shouted as she attacked again, "I have specific orders to kill all 8 of you by sunset at the close of the week and take your children into custody."

"There're just 10! What did they do?" Daniella cried, defensively.

"It's not what they did do, it's what they can do," said Lyra, "My mistress has need of their power. And she wishes for their parents to all be vanquished before then."

"Oh, really?" asked Nadine, "Who's your mistress? Medusa?" Kelly couldn't help but laugh at that. The rabbit and coyote were best friends and Nadine was always funny (she got it from her dad).

Lyra pulled out her dagger and swung it behind her. She didn't directly hit Ace, she just scratched him. "How could I have missed that?"

"You mind staying off of my husband?" Lexi asked, brain blasting her.

Lyra held her dagger in the way of the attack and it reflected off of it. The impact of the brain blast caused Lexi bounce back and, when Lyra threw the dagger at her, the dagger scratched her, too, making a boomerang motion and hitting Rev as it flung back into her hand. "You guys just don't know when to give up, do you?"

Nadine threw a fire ball at her, which reflected off the dagger, too, and scorched Tech, who turned into a pile of ashes and then regenerated. "Sorry about that, Tech!" Nadine said.

"How is that thing reflecting all of our attacks?" asked Tech.

"Simple," Lyra said, "it's designed to withstand against every single mutant." She threw the dagger at him and it scratched his arm, rebounding against Duck on the trip back.

"Alright, then," said Ace, "why don't we see if it can hold up against this?" He attempted to blast her with his laser vision and it fizzled out. "Huh?"

"It's also poisoned so the scratches are injecting enough into your bloodstream to withhold your power for exactly 2 days," said Lyra, "Just enough time for me to kill you all!" She attempted to stab him with it, but he did a back-flip in time and knocked it out of her hands, unintentionally scratching Slam and Daniella in the process.

"Whoops, sorry there, guys," said Ace.

"Yeah, too bad she still couldn't go against me," said Wendy, taking out her wand for an attack. She waved it and a bolt of lightning emerged. Lyra ducked out of the way in time and the lightning was absorbed in a nearby light pole as Lyra made a grab for the dagger. Wendy ducked in time and fell into Duck's arms. "Thanks for catching me." Wendy couldn't say anything before Lyra scratched her with the blade.

Kelly couldn't take anymore of this. Without their powers, they couldn't defend themselves from her attack. "Ace, toss me the sword!" Ace tossed the coyote girl the Guardian Strike Sword and she attacked Lyra from behind, knocking her down as she made a final attack which undoubtedly killed the killer.

The group noticed that after she began dying, her spell wore off and she was turned into a grey-skinned 15-year-old with jet black hair. While the others refused to get close to her, Kelly, Nadine, and Sarah had the guts to make sure she was dead. As soon as the dying assassin knew that there was someone present nearby, she opened her eyes as they glowed green, but the anthro children only stepped back, shocked and unfazed.

_You really are immune, _Lyra thought as she slowly faded into death.

"She's an Aureal," said Daniella.

"A what?" asked Duck.

"An Aureal, Duck," Daniella said, "It's a Vampire capable of mind control who usually serves a higher master or, in this case, mistress. Someone sent this assassin to spy on and kill us."

"Who would do that?" asked Ace.

"I don't know," said Daniella, "But it must be another Vampire who doesn't like us. And there's no telling who that is. Wait, who would know that you were married without knowing your true identities?"

"Eronor and Orthane would both know that," said Wendy, "But both of them lost their powers when they were taken into custody in Anasala and neither of them are Vampires.…You don't mean--"

"Yes, I do," said Daniella.

"You think they have a sister?"


	7. Worry and Fear

Chapter 7: Worry and Fear

That night, Kelly's vision was avoided. With Lyra dead and Mirdra unable to step out in the daytime, the group would be safe for now. But Kelly and Tech weren't so sure about that. That night, in their sleep, they began to hear strange voices…

Tech struggled to avoid the noises that came to his ears in his dreams:

"_Losing a loved one in all that has past,_

_And suffering more than any other,_

_The Seer struggles trying to forget,_

_Losing his sisters and brother._

_He tries to avoid the past thoughts of his love,_

_But is unsuccessful to ignore,_

_The voice in his head wanting revenge,_

_On the killer, who deep into his heart bore._

_Broken and shattered, falling to pieces,_

_The Seer tries to look ahead,_

_Not knowing the trouble he has caused his children,_

_The ones he now loves and doesn't know will soon be dead._"

Tech woke up. He looked around. The Whisperers he had been warned of 11 years ago were taunting him and haunting him (again, no rhyme intended) once again, this time from afar. He couldn't get their words out of his head. How did they know so much?

Tech tried to forget. He reached into the neck of his clothes and pulled out a gold chain, revealing a golden, heart-shaped locket with a single word carved on the front in silver cursive: "Love". He opened it to reveal 2 pictures: the original, on the left side, of his wife and her family when she was young, and the new one, on the right, of him and Sophie together about a month after they had found out about the Whisperers. Back then, everything was happy for them and the Whisperers' voices were easy to ignore, but now that he was being tormented by the thoughts of lost loved ones, he couldn't avoid them. He clutched the locket close to his chest and remembered the day Sophie had given it to him. She had never taken it off before that day, and then just gave it away to her true love, who never took it off either.

Kelly was having similar troubles. She tossed and turned in her bed dreaming of the same voices:

"_Child of the Seer, daughter of the Listener,_

_A sister amongst brothers and sons,_

_The only child capable of heeding our words_

_Doesn't know if she is the one._

_She sees the future of her parents' light_

_And stumbles to see the dark shadows, as well,_

_Not knowing how the assassin's death will reflect_

_Upon the Vampire's spell._

_She will lose all things dear to her, all things that are pure,_

_In the hopes of avoiding the loss,_

_Seeing the future comes at a price,_

_And now her family will pay the cost._"

Kelly sat up in bed and looked around her. She was still in her room with her brothers and sister. She got out of bed quietly and left the room. She walked slowly down the hall when a voice stopped her, a living one.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Kelly gasped and turned around. It was Tech, her father. He seemed perfectly fine, but it didn't look like he had gotten much rest either. "No, I had a…bad dream?"

"Same one I had?"

"What do you mean?"

"Kelly, you heard the voices again, didn't you?"

Kelly nodded, looking down at her feet.

"Don't listen to them," Tech warned her, "They'll tell you things that sound real, but they aren't really true."

"Did they tell you Mom was going to die?"

Tech didn't know what to say. They had come to him in his sleep the day before the children were born, saying that because he loved her, he would lose her. They had warned him about how his children would die one day and he wouldn't be able to help them, how his teammates would die and it would be his fault. He had ignored it because he was told that the Whisperers would never tell the truth, but their prediction had come true the next day. His daughter was psychic. Did the same thing happen to her?

"What was she like?" Kelly asked, snapping Tech out of his thoughts.

"Who?"

"Mom. Come on, you never talk about her."

Tech smiled. "Where do I begin? She was smart, pretty, funny, a good Witch. She was the youngest in her family, but she was strong."

"You said she was the Listener…What was it like for her to hear the voices we here?"

"I don't know. She said it was torture to only be able to hear them and never know where the voices came from, but the 2 of us are different. We can see them."

"I know, but sometimes I wish I didn't have this gift," said Kelly.

"Same here," said Tech, getting down on one knee so that he was at her level (she was actually taller than that, but he was still bigger than her), "In fact, it was because of my powers that I put your aunts' lives in danger. But your mom saved them both."

"Really? How did she do it?"

"Let's just say she wasn't very happy that her sisters were kidnapped," Tech answered. He picked her up (he's stronger than he looks) and took her back to her room.

On the way there, they could hear the voices whispering to them. "Dad, do you hear that?"

"Yeah, I do," said Tech, "Just ignore it."

She fell asleep in his arms. When he reached her room, he put her in her bed. _She's so peaceful when she's sleeping…sometimes,_ Tech thought, _She reminds me so much of Sophie. At least I know she never left me. Maybe the Whisperers _were_ wrong._

He could still hear the words the Whisperers had said to him the night before Sophie died playing in his head:

"_The Seer's love is in jeopardy,_

_His world will come to an end,_

_When his children become of the darkness_

_And he loses all of his friends._

_The light is not near enough,_

_The shadows are drawing too close,_

_The Listener shall soon be dead,_

_The Seer's love transposed._

_One day, all the dreams shall end,_

_When all close to him have gone,_

_And his own life will be taken,_

_The final line's been drawn._"

Tech shook the memory from his mind and went back to sleep, dreaming of the good things and not the bad.

* * *

Kelly and Tech had a rare relationship. They had both heard the voices and there were no more secrets between them now that each knew of the other's powers. Tech knew that the voices must have been wrong about _all_ his children stepping into darkness if only one of them could hear the voices. And even if any of them took that path, he knew they couldn't do that forever, just like his eldest sister couldn't stay in the darkness forever. Tech didn't want to think about that. It was too much to think about the darkness being related to anyone related to him and he certainly didn't want to think about something that reminded him so much of Sophie even if she was still around. It was too hard on him knowing that he hadn't been able to see her for 10 years, thinking she was dead, when, the whole time, she had been standing right beside him.

Kelly didn't know what to think after the things she had heard that night. Her dad had told her that it wasn't true, to ignore them torturing her, but she couldn't help but know that there was something going on that he still wasn't telling her. For one thing, he hadn't told her _how_ her mom had died. She didn't want to ask him, there was probably a reason he hadn't told them. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before either, so she was very tired. "Hey, I think I'll go lie down," Kelly said, getting off of her chair at the table and laying down on the couch.

"She must not have gotten much sleep last night," said Ryan, "Would you happen to know what happened?"

"Well, she's the psychic one, ask her when she wakes up," said Tech, not wanting to freak out all his kids with the news of the voices he and Kelly had heard.

The group went about their personal business after a while and let Kelly rest. Kelly was dreaming, and she didn't know that she sometimes had visions in her sleep instead of nightmares.

_It was a dark night. She and her brothers and sister were walking down a deserted street and it was really foggy so they couldn't see where they were going._

_"Kelly, I think we're lost," said Sarah._

_"We've just got to keep going," said Kelly._

_"Kelly, we've been walking for hours," said Ryan, "You know how my feet get tired."_

_Suddenly, there was a strange sound coming from the bushes and the trees._

_"What was that?" asked Michael, grabbing onto Kelly and holding her tight._

_"I-I don't know," said Kelly. The sound came again. A swarm of bats flew out and came after them. The 4 coyote kids ran to dodge the attack, not noticing that they were going in separate directions. Kelly stopped running at the end of the street. "What was that?" She looked around and saw the street to be empty. "Guys? Ryan? Michael? Sarah?" All of a sudden, another creature jumped out of nowhere. She didn't know what it was, but it sure seemed like a smaller version of the monsters her dad had been fighting so often so recently. "No…no…get away!" The creature jumped at her, not sparing the attack._

Kelly woke up, screaming. Her scream echoed through the whole building. The group ran into the living room, but Kelly was alone on the couch.

"Kelly, what happened?" asked Tech, getting right next to her.

"I…it was…there…" Kelly didn't know what to say. The dream had been so real…

Tech picked her up the same way he had done the night before. After a few seconds, he realized that she was crying.

"I think I had a vision in my sleep."

"What?" Tech said, letting her loose.

"Kelly, that never happened before," Ryan said.

"I know, but it happened now," said Kelly, "Maybe it only does it when I'm asleep in the daytime."

"Well, what did you see?" asked Ryan.

"I…" Kelly couldn't finish her sentence. She knew Ryan would think she was a freak, Michael and Sarah would have nightmares for the rest of their lives, and her dad would probably get worried about her. "I really don't know…"


	8. Beyond the Barrier

Chapter 8: Beyond the Barrier

Mirdra was furious. "They kill my best assassin when she was sent to kill them, and now the Seer's daughter is having dream visions! And the Listener is now capable of being seen by those 2. I shall have to dispose of them myself! But how if I can't go out in daylight?" She thought about this for a second. "I know."

* * *

That night, Tech was up the latest. He was almost ready to get some sleep, when he remembered what had happened that morning with his daughter. _What's going on with her? First, she's the only one who hears the voices, then she starts getting visions in her sleep? What next?_ Tech sighed. _Get over it. You're not always going to be with her. Why am I suddenly thinking in second person?_ At that moment, he thought he saw something move. He looked around. He didn't see anyone. He figured he had imagined it and, if there was someone there, he didn't want to look scared.

"The Seer will soon die…"

Tech gasped and looked around. There was still no one there. That was _not_ one of the Whisperers' voices! Someone must be in there!

"I will kill you myself if I have to!"

"Who's there?" asked Tech.

"The one who killed the Listener…"

Tech was shocked to hear that. The very woman who had killed his true love was in his room right now talking about killing him! This must have been Lyra's Mistress! "Where are you? Show yourself or get out!"

Someone grabbed him from behind and held his snout shut so that he couldn't say anything. "You're coming with me…"

The 2 disappeared.

* * *

Kelly woke up at the exact moment her dad left. She could tell because of her psychic vibes that something must be wrong. She got up and walked to her dad's room. She slowly opened the door. There was no one in there. She was going to race back to her room and inform her brothers and sister of their missing parent, but she remembered her dream. _This must have been it._ She was careful not to wake up her brothers and sister as she grabbed a few things and raced out of the building alone to chase after her father.

She walked through the streets for a while. She came to a place she assumed was likely a Vampire hideout. When she got closer, someone reached out and grabbed her. It was an Aureal.

"My Mistress is waiting for you."

* * *

Mirdra tossed Tech on the floor.

"What do you want with me?" asked Tech.

"Oh, please, I already told you I was going to 'kill the Seer'," Mirdra replied, "I know you're one of the Loonatics."

Tech pressed a button on his watch and he was immediately in his Loonatics uniform. "Then I would suggest you let me go."

Mirdra smiled to reveal her fangs. "You really think I'm going to let you go after what you and your wife and her sisters and your friends did to my brothers?"

"Your brothers?" Tech asked. He then noticed the marks on her hands, the marks that signified that she was a member of the Order of the Scorpion and the Order of the Shadows. "Your brothers were Orthane and Eronor?"

"Yes, and you and your pesky friends brought defeat to both of them. But not me. I am going to dispose of you as soon as I possibly can."

"Keep dreaming. The Seer is immortal, remember?"

"Yeah, but the poison my assassin put inside you is still at work until sunrise tomorrow. You have no way to protect yourself."

"If my powers are down, why am I still hearing the voices?"

"Because that is a power you were destined to have, the rest of them are the result of the meteor."

"How could I have been 'destined to have it' if it was, technically speaking, a result of the meteor, too? I mean, I died and it wasn't my time to go and…"

"You don't get it, do you? It was your time, I'm the one who killed you because I knew you would become the Seer. I started that fire and all that happened was I gave you the power. And as another consequence, I became a Vampire. But this time, you're really going to die." Mirdra could see the fear in Tech's eyes. "But I'll give you a choice. I'll spare your life if you give me someone else's."

The door opened long enough for an Aureal to throw Kelly on the ground and then leave.

"No…" Tech couldn't take it. He wasn't about to sacrifice his daughter to save his own life! He could see that Kelly had been crying.

"So who's it going to be, her or you?"

Tech hung his head, crying as he realized he needed to let her kill him if Kelly was going to be set free.

"I thought so."

Before that could happen, the other Loonatics, dressed in their uniforms, and the other kids, broke in, ramming the door down.

"Eh, I figured we'd find you guys in here," Ace said, taking out the Guardian Strike Sword, "What's up, doc?"

"You don't scare me, rabbit," Mirdra said.

"That's 'bunny'," Ace corrected.

"Like it matters," said Mirdra, "You still can't use your powers until sunrise." She pushed him away, making him drop the sword and slam into the wall.

"You shouldn't have done that," said Lucy. She held her palm out behind her back and it slowly turned green and pink and green again as the plants outside began growing in a weird way. She brought her palm around her front and her other hand did the same thing. She threw her hands out and the plants broke a hole in the wall, branches pushing the other anthros (and Witches) out of the way while half a dozen vines attacked Mirdra. The attack ended when one plant grabbed her ankle and flung her over.

Mirdra got up and her eyes turned green as she tried to take over Lucy's mind, knowing that she wasn't one of the 3 who were immune to the attack.

"Everyone, cover your ears!" Sarah said. The team did just that as the branches recoiled and Sarah began to sing. She knew that if 2 people tried to take over Lucy's mind at the same time, neither attack would work. When Mirdra finally gave up, Sarah stopped singing and screamed. Mirdra received the worst of it since everyone else had their ears covered.

When Sarah stopped her attack, Mirdra was unhappy. "You think you can just get rid of me that easily?"

Benny tried to look casual as he turned invisible and used his flexibility to pull Mirdra's leg and topple her over. Benny turned back to normal as Sarah and Michael started laughing, followed by Ryan, which made Mirdra even angrier.

Michael turned into a lion and Mirdra turned into a bat. Michael was able to scratch her wing, so she turned back into a Vampire and eliminated use of that power since she would be unable to fly if she tried.

Jack used his telekinesis to lift a bunch of arrows and fling them at her. What he didn't expect was for her to dodge them and then fling them back in their direction before they could hit the wall (did you know Vampires who command Aureals are also telekinetic?).

"Everyone, get behind me!" Ryan called out, as his friends and the Loonatics did just that. He stood absolutely still, blocking everyone he could, and all the arrows broke on contact.

Nadine flung a fire ball at Mirdra, but she dodged it, too, and it scorched nothing but her leg.

Kelly saw, through her powers, what Robert was going to have to do to defeat her and told him.

"Are you sure that'll work?" Robert asked her.

"It's the only way, if you're strong enough," said Kelly.

"Oh, I am," said Robert, phasing right through her and holding out his hands so that the wind outside picked up speed and the clouds began to give off lightning and thunder. The rain poured down as he tried to channel what power he had to control energy and a lightning bolt struck the Vampire, knocking her out. Robert was a little weak after that and dropped his power, falling into his mother's arms.

"Looks like we've got a forecaster to rival ol' Weathervane," said Duck, elbowing Rev as he said it.

After Robert was back up, the sun rose and shone it's rays through the hole in the wall created by Lucy's plant friends and the Loonatics could feel their powers coming back into use as Mirdra turned to dust.

"Good riddance, I say."

No one on the team had said that, and yet they all heard it. They looked around and Daniella gasped when she saw who had spoken. "S-Sophie?"

The team looked and saw the coyote appear in the room. "Y-You can see me?" She then realized what had happened. Because Mirdra had died, her power was no longer in effect and, since Sophie had already died once, Sophie was able to come back since she was never really dead. "I'm alive?"

Tech went over to her. They hugged. "I missed you," he whispered.

"I never left you," Sophie whispered back. Neither of them knew that Lexi had heard what they were saying.

"Hey," Ryan said, making the 2 coyotes jump slightly and turn around, "I'm guessing you're our mom."

Sophie smiled. "You bet I am." The 4 coyote kids went up to hug her.

The 4 different families were happy.

"What I can't believe is that our own kids just saved our lives," said Tech.

"I believe it, Tech," said Zadavia, appearing on their communicators through a holographic image, "And I would actually like to say thank you and congratulations to you 9, Nadine, Benjamin, Lucy, Robert, Jack, Kelly, Ryan, Sarah, and Michael. And there is something I would like to ask you."

"What is it, Zadavia?" asked Ace.

"Not you, Ace, the kids," said Zadavia, "I would like them to take over their parents' position as the Acmetropolis intergalactic superheroes."

"Uh, Zadavia," Lexi interrupted, "aren't they a little young? They just turned 10!"

"Exactly, Lexi," said Zadavia, "Which I why I move that they become your apprentices for a few years until they're old enough to go out in the field themselves."

"Well, I, for one, happen to like that idea," said Wendy, "What about you guys?"

The 7 anthro heroes and Daniella agreed.

"Then I guess it's really up to the kids," said Ace.

"I'm oldest," said Nadine, "I get first vote. Yes!"

"I'm with you," said Benny, "What about you, Cottontail?"

Lucy giggled. "Yeah."

"Can't hold me back," said Robert, "Especially since I would just phase through you."

"I'm with the rabbits and the runner," said Jack.

"That's 'bunnies'," Nadine, Benny, Lucy, Ace, and Lexi all said at the same time.

Kelly couldn't help but laugh. "You know it's funny. I'm a psychic and I didn't see that coming." She laughed again. "I'm in."

"If Kelly's in, I'm in," said Ryan.

"Why not?" asked Sarah.

Michael just looked down at his feet.

"Well?" asked Sophie.

"I just got you back, Mom," said Michael, "And I never even met you."

"I'll always be with you," said Sophie, "I always was."

"In that case, I'm in!" Michael said, not wasting 2 seconds.

"That's how 10-year-old's work," said Tech, "You ask them something, they say 'yes' almost immediately."

"I shall see you all later," Zadavia said, "Zadavia out."

* * *

The kids were apprentices for the team for 4 years. On the coyote kids' 14th birthday, Zadavia called.

"Loonatics, I regret to inform you that someone is once again trying to rob the Acmetropolis First National Bank," Zadavia said, "We need you on the case now."

"I guess you guys better get going," said Lucy.

"Actually, we did some talking last night about this," said Ace, "We think it's time we handed the operation over to you completely."

"You really mean it?" Kelly asked, excitedly.

"Of course," said Lexi, "You guys are doing great with this. You don't need us there. But before you go, I think you'll be needing these." Lexi got out the team's old uniforms.

"I call Mom's!" Nadine called out, grabbing the pink and black outfit from the table.

"Hey, you can't just go doing that when--" Benny started.

Lucy cleared her throat to inform him that the only uniform left on the table was their dad's.

"Oh, I guess you can." Benny picked up the yellow and black uniform, leaving Lucy, Kelly, and Sarah without any.

Robert, Jack, and Ryan had each grabbed their dads' old uniforms and Michael had caught Slam's, so Lucy, Kelly, and Sarah were the only ones left.

"What about us?" asked Sarah, not noticing Rev had raced out and come back with 3 more uniforms, one in blue for Sarah, one in brown for Lucy, and one in silver for Kelly. The 9 of them had them on in 10 seconds.

"Looks like it works," said Lexi.

"Well, Benny, you want to do the honors?" asked Ace.

Benny stood up straight in his dad's old uniform. "Let's jet! How was that?"

"Needs some work, but good effort," said Nadine.

The group of 9 went to the hero room, which was no longer under cloaking, and grabbed the jet packs.

"I still can't remember how you work this thing--WHOA!" Jack had pressed the right button at the wrong time and gone slamming into the skylight directly overhead, stuck in the glass. "A little help?"

Lucy pressed the right button and flew up with perfect control, and created a force field around the duck, which took him out of the window.

"I meant to do that," said Jack.

The team opened the hatch and flew off to their mission.

"You-think-they'll-be-OK-out-there?" asked Rev.

"Relax, they've all got everything perfectly under control," said Tech. Jack was ricocheting in the sky above them when Benny's hand reached out and pulled him back. "Well, 8 of them do."

The new Loonatics team got into a lot of different adventures later, but that is another story.

**THE END…?**


End file.
